Body Music

Beats On My Body, April 2009: founded by Felicia Behm and Stacey Stoltz

One of the many classes offered here at Slap Happy Music Studio is the Body Music Ensemble. You will hear me call it body music and body percussion interchangeably, but don’t let that throw you: they are one and the same!

So what is body music? The simplest definition is this: music made with your body. But you make all music with your body, right? You blow into a flute, you pluck a string, you hit a drum. So how exactly do you limit what can fit into the body music ensemble?

Let’s start here. Have you ever heard of Stomp? Have you seen them live? They are a fantastic show, and one I highly recommend if you have not had the chance to see them. Stomp uses anything and everything to make music: brooms, trash cans, decks of cards, dishes, lighters, basketballs…if you can hit it you can use it.

But what happens if you take away all of their toys? That is when you have body music. Body music is made using only the sounds possible with the human body. No toys, no instruments, no electronics…just you. This is the oldest form of music, and yet it is relatively new to the media world. Everyone learns to sing, whistle, hum, snap, clap, or mumble their way through a song when they are little. What we want to do now is take that natural instinct to create music and fine-tune it. Make it intricate. Weave various cultures into it. Make it unique. And share it.

I was first introduced to body music when Stacey Stoltz and I went to the 1st International Body Music Festival in 2008. (Look closely in the video above: Stacey and I are in it!) Here I took classes, watched concerts, and experimented, and together Stacey and I took all that we had learned and created the first body music ensemble at Lawrence University, Beats On My Body. This style of music has quickly become a favorite of mine for many reasons. But why should you do it?

1. Anyone can do it. You do not need any formal musical training to make music. We rarely (if ever) will use written music: it is almost exclusively taught by ear and learned through repetition. Trumpet players, pianists, and the tone-deaf can play the most intricate rhythms alongside their drumset-playing friends, and can even steal the show!
2. It is natural. Have you ever tried to play an instrument, only to find it impossible to make a note? I had the hardest time with the clarinet and the saxophone: they drove me crazy! Body music is innate to everyone on this planet. So you can’t whistle? That’s okay, you can hum instead! Can’t snap? Clap away! There is something for everyone, and you can learn some new tricks while you are at it.
3. It’s fun! How often do you get together with a group of friends to just give high-fives, whistle at each other, yell at the top of your lungs, and slap yourself silly? How many activities let you goof off for an hour, laugh so hard you cry, make mistakes and make up sounds with all parts of your body…and call it a productive rehearsal?

Body Music is a lot of fun, and I am very much looking forward to getting this ensemble started here at Slap Happy. We need at least 5 participants for the ensemble to begin meeting regularly, but anyone interested should contact me for private and group lessons! We can begin with one person, and once it grows to five we will become the first Slap Happy Body Music Ensemble! We may even have a contest to create a great name for the group…and maybe even some cool T-shirts…

Lesson registration is now open. Contact me to sign up, and start spreading the word! Before you know it you will be clicking, stomping, and driving yourself slap happy.